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A ship's required whistle pitch depends partly on its size.
A ship's required whistle pitch depends partly on its size. International rules assign lower frequency ranges to the largest vessels: ships at least 200…
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Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome.
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity results in an irrational or…
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The Moon is borrowing momentum from Earth's spin.
The Moon is borrowing momentum from Earth's spin. Tidal interactions gradually slow Earth's rotation and transfer angular momentum to the Moon's orbit, moving…
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Machu Picchu now sends visitors along assigned circuits.
Machu Picchu now sends visitors along assigned circuits. A ticket gives access to a particular route rather than unrestricted wandering around the citadel.…
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Iconic red double-decker buses in London did not originate with modern combustion engines, but were originally massive wooden carriages violently dragged through the filthy…
Iconic red double-decker buses in London did not originate with modern combustion engines, but were originally massive wooden carriages violently dragged…
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Tyrannosaurus rex actually lived closer in time to the invention of the smartphone than it did to the existence of the Stegosaurus, completely ruining every childhood dinosaur toy battle you ever orchestrated.
Tyrannosaurus rex actually lived closer in time to the invention of the smartphone than it did to the existence of the Stegosaurus, completely ruining every…
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A 1920 conference helped give passports a shared format.
A 1920 conference helped give passports a shared format. The League of Nations pushed for common passport specifications after World War I expanded border…
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Japan's cube-shaped watermelons are often meant for display.
Japan's cube-shaped watermelons are often meant for display. Growers place the developing fruit inside a rigid mold, which determines its shape. The…
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Victorians were so utterly obsessed with the mystical allure of ancient Egypt that they regularly hosted elaborate mummy unwrapping parties in their drawing rooms as the ultimate high-society social flex.
Victorians were so utterly obsessed with the mystical allure of ancient Egypt that they regularly hosted elaborate mummy unwrapping parties in their drawing…
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Theosophy enthusiasts in the nineteen thirties loudly proclaimed that an ancient, highly advanced race of mystical beings called Lemurians had secretly survived the sinking of…
Theosophy enthusiasts in the nineteen thirties loudly proclaimed that an ancient, highly advanced race of mystical beings called Lemurians had secretly…
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GTA's runaway police helped reveal what made the game fun.
GTA's runaway police helped reveal what made the game fun. Developer Gary Penn recalled police cars suddenly trying to drive through the player during…
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Creators Matt and Ross Duffer were rejected by over fifteen different television networks when they initially pitched the concept for Stranger Things, with executives claiming…
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer were rejected by over fifteen different television networks when they initially pitched the concept for Stranger Things, with…
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The electric popemobile was engineered for going slowly.
The electric popemobile was engineered for going slowly. Mercedes-Benz adapted the electric G-Class drivetrain for the low speeds of papal appearances when it…
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Certain species of bamboo hold the world record for the fastest growing plants on Earth, capable of shooting up an astonishing thirty-five inches in a single twenty-four hour period.
Certain species of bamboo hold the world record for the fastest growing plants on Earth, capable of shooting up an astonishing thirty-five inches in a single…
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Windows computers traditionally assign the main hard drive to the letter C because the letters A and B were historically strictly reserved for floppy disk drives back in the early days of personal computing.
Windows computers traditionally assign the main hard drive to the letter C because the letters A and B were historically strictly reserved for floppy disk…
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Edison's talking dolls put a fragile recording machine in a child's hands.
Edison's talking dolls put a fragile recording machine in a child's hands. The 1890 dolls contained miniature phonographs operated by a crank. Records and…
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Early computers adopted the binary system of ones and zeros primarily because it was the easiest and most reliable way to represent data using electrical circuits that only had two states: on or off.
Early computers adopted the binary system of ones and zeros primarily because it was the easiest and most reliable way to represent data using electrical…
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This scheduled flight can be shorter than a song.
This scheduled flight can be shorter than a song. Loganair connects Westray and Papa Westray in Orkney across just 1.7 miles. The schedule allows about two…
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Bottled water can start at the same source as tap water.
Bottled water can start at the same source as tap water. Some bottled-water producers use municipal supplies, then treat the water through processes such as…
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Felines are entirely incapable of tasting sweetness because they suffer from a genetic mutation that deactivated their sweet taste receptors millions of years ago.
Felines are entirely incapable of tasting sweetness because they suffer from a genetic mutation that deactivated their sweet taste receptors millions of years…
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Tom Thumb's famous defeat by a horse comes through a later story.
Tom Thumb's famous defeat by a horse comes through a later story. The 1830 locomotive demonstrated steam power on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. In the…
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Microsoft marketing executives absolutely hated the name Xbox when it was first pitched, viewing it as a clunky abbreviation for the Direct X Box project that sounded completely unprofessional.
Microsoft marketing executives absolutely hated the name Xbox when it was first pitched, viewing it as a clunky abbreviation for the Direct X Box project that…
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Katamari's unlikely beginning involved a student project.
Katamari's unlikely beginning involved a student project. Keita Takahashi recalls that his boss thought the rolling-ball idea would struggle through Namco's…
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Oxford had students centuries before the Aztec Empire formed.
Oxford had students centuries before the Aztec Empire formed. There is evidence of teaching at Oxford in 1096; the Aztec Triple Alliance was established in…
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